Sue Lane Talley Faculty
As an Opera Coach/accompanist, Sue has had a prestigious career, having worked in major Opera companies in the U.S. and Italy, including the Metropolitan Opera. She had the opportunity to perform and study opera coaching in Italy, with the famous brothers, Mario and Marcello Del Monaco and was a participant and accompanist for the Alberta Masiello master classes from 1977-1983. In 1980, she received a National Opera Institute grant to study opera coaching (A National Council for the Arts Award), at the Metropolitan Opera. Later, she was assistant to Joan Dornemann, Assoc. Conductor and aided Musical preparation of Metropolitan Opera singers, and coached and accompanied singers in the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions. She was coach/accompanist/conductor for major Italian opera festivals in Lucca, Venice, Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Feltre, Bassano, and Bussetto with performances on Italian radio (RAI) and television. She is the Winner of Young Artist Award, Battelle Institute, Seattle, Washington, Winner of New Dimensions in Music Competition (Ford Foundation National Competition in 20th century music), and Winner of Washington State Music Teachers' Association and Music and Allied Arts Festival Baldwin piano competitions.
A winner in piano competitions from the age of eight, Sue debuted with the Santa Barbara Symphony in Mendelssohn's G-minor Concerto at the age of 16. She was a scholarship student at the Music Academy of the West, Santa Barbara, the University of California, Santa Barbara, Whitworth College, and Western Washington University. She received her Ph.D. in Music Education from The University of Dublin. In 2006, Sue received a Doctorate of Worship Studies from the Robert Webber Institute of Worship Studies. She continues her career as a solo pianist, recording artist, accompanist/coach, conductor, Author/editor, teacher, and TV and Radio personality who, for over thirty-five years, traveled throughout North America and Europe. As a pianist, Sue has performed over 2,500 concerts in concert halls and churches in the United States, Canada, Europe, Korea, and Russia of sacred and classical music.
She has given Master Classes in piano and accompanying at dozens of institutions across the U.S. and around the world, including Northwestern University, Indiana University, The King's College, Westminster College, Moscow Conservatory, and University of Tirana, Albania. She has also been on the piano faculty of Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington and a lecturer for "Women in the Arts" series, Columbia University. She is currently the Director of the School of Music at Nyack College in New York City.
Sue and husband, Dana, are passionate about Italy and are committed to sharing their talents and experience with the next generation.